The Elementals/Season 1/Follow-up
This is the follow-up for Season 1 of The Elementals. (If you read it before it's out, then it might be half-finished. Sorry! :3) It takes place in the Lake territories. Enjoy! FOLLOW-UP Deep in the forest, a cavern in an abandoned quarry loomed from the cliff face. The shadows of budding trees against the starlight glowed on the ledge. The sounds of bats chirupping and brambles rustling with small creatures echoed through the inside of the cave. Rocky cracks cast shadows over the leafstrewn ground. The smooth gray floor, glowing blueish in the moonlight, was blanketed with scraps of dead moss and shedded fur... cat hair. A silver-colored she-cat appeared at the mouth of the cave. Her muzzle is dappled white with age. Her blue eyes flickered across the empty chamber. She trotted inside. Her muscles rippled as she walks, and a battle scar from her shoulder to her left flank is especially noticable in the moonlight. The cat settled at the very back, where a nest of fresh moss, feathers, and grasses sat. The old cat stood silently in the cave, listening to the sounds of the night. A while later, another cat entered- a black tom with an ugly scar over his eye, which looked suspiciously like a cat scratch. He sat down near the back. Then another cat entered- a tannish-cream tabby she-cat that smelled of mint. Soon the cave was filled with cats- around ten of them, whispering to each other and clawing the ground nervously. Then the silver she-cat cleared her throat, and the murmers silenced. Then she spoke. "As you know," she began, "the Clans have been at peace for a very long time now. No battles or skirmishes have taken place. The Gatherings have been peaceful, with no bad news from the other Clan leaders and no arguements between warriors of rival Clans. Prey has been flourishing, even through leafbare, and newleaf is only yet to come." The cats around her nodded in agreement. The black cat with the scar stepped forward. His single green eye blinked. "If everything is going so well, Swiftstar," he said in a smooth voice like a sluggish river, "then why are we here? Why are we having a meeting about the problems in the Clan?" The old silver cat, Swiftstar, responded, "It's StarClan. We haven't heard from them in three seasons." The cats surrounding her began whispering and murmering to each other in worry. The black cat spoke up again. "That's impossible. StarClan-" he said StarClan with a sneer in his voice- "StarClan always says something every one and a while. It can't be almost a whole year since we've heard them!" The cats near him nodded in respect and agreement. Swiftstar sighed. "Blackscar, have you heard of any prophecies lately?" she asked. "Has Brairleaf, our medicine cat, seen any visons of the future? Have you seen even a mousetail of something that could be an omen?" Blackscar, looking crestfallen, shook his head. "None of us have, either. In fact, has anyone heard of any prophecies, even outside our Clan?" All of the cats glanced at each other. None of them spoke up. "StarClan hasn't said a meow since greenleaf," continued Swiftstar. "I'm troubled. Have they seen something that they don't want us to know? Did we anger them? Are they... dying?" The whole cave filled up with meows of shock and terror from the council of cats. "Dying? I didn't know that StarClan could die!" "I heard this legend once... it was about the Great Battle, and this StarClan cat died... what was her name? Leafspots? Spotted... claw?" "What if they're angry? It must be all my fault! I forgot to thank them for prey when I caught a squirrel yesterday!" "That's impossible! StarClan can't die!" "This has happened before. Some elder's tale about the great battle..." Swiftstar flicked her tail, and the talking faded. "Now," she said, "there is no reason to worry now. These are just theories. But we must be aware that there is something going on in StarClan. This cannot be a coincidence. Fortunatly, we have another theory. Briarleaf has something to share with you all." The pale tan tabby cat stepped forward. From her pelt drifted the smells of forest ferns and moondust. She began in her high-pitched voice, "As Swiftstar said, I've had no signs from StarClan since greenleaf." Blackscar sniffed. "And what did they say?" His voice sounded like he was challenging her. "A prophecy," Brairleaf said. If she had heard the tone of his voice, she ignored it. "They spoke a prophecy. It went something like this- On the day of the sun, The stars shall sleep Until the leaf falls. The cats whispered in excitement. "Swiftstar calls it the Day of the Sun prophecy. We think we know what it means," Brairleaf told them. "'Day of the sun' was the day after I recieved that prophecy. It was the hottest day of the year. They must've meant that we wouldn't recieve any more signs from then on. 'Until the leaf falls' is obvious. It must mean until next leaffall." Blackscar's ear twitched. Swiftstar nodded to the medicine cat, and she stepped back into the small crowd of cats. "Now, none of the other Clan leaders have reported any signs of StarClan since greenleaf, too," continued the elderly she-cat. "They told me during a truce meeting that their medicine cats had also recieved this message before the stars went silent. But none of them have seen anything from StarClan since then. Russetstar said that her medicine cats have not had any visons since the Day of the Sun prophecy. Pebblestar said the same, and Breezestar said that her medicine cat hadn't found any omens, either." Swiftstar shifted her weight. "So this must mean-" Suddenly, several cats in one corner of the cavern screamed. Swiftstar whipped her head around. Cats jumped away from it- a cat's body trembling on the ground, claws shivering. Brairleaf. Her eyes were pupil-less. They glowed blue-white like the moon, and were wilder than the forest itself. Her pelt rustled and stood on end, as if she was a cornered rabbit. Cats yowled in horror as her mouth opened, and blue smoky light shone around her jaws. Then she began to speak, in a rough, raspy voice, unlike her own: Fire, water, earth and air Will bring to the Clans, a great despair-'' ''For shadows are stalking the bluebird's nest And evil is hunting without a rest... Four cats will recieve the greatest power To battle the dark at midnight hour Each one will control the forest's heirs-'' ''Fire, water, earth and air... Fire will warm or ruthlessly kill The souls of the innocent cats of ill... Water will bring the Clans from the sun Into the shade of the Island of One... Earth will end the battle from the gale But will induce an accidental betrayal... Under the stormclouds, Air will cower Before discovering the greatest power... Four cats will rise above the rest, The Elementals put to the test, One power each, by darkness' lair-'' ''Fire, water, earth and air... The Clans must fall before they rise, Ignore the enraged eagle's cries... And beware The Clans, Of the violent eyes. Briarleaf gasped in a short, choked breath. She shuddered in a horrible way and fainted on the floor. The cave went silent enough to hear a mouse's footsteps. No cat spoke for a long time. Finally, Swiftstar murmered with terror in her voice, "Take Brairleaf back to her den. I need a patrol to go the other Clans and tell them that the leaf has fallen." Blackscar cocked his head. "What leaf?" Swiftstar glanced at the cats shuffling forward to carry the uncounciece medicine cat back to the den, and whispered in a haunted way, "Brair''leaf." ---- It was day now, and the old cliffside was now bustling with cats. Small kits tumbled around on a mossy part of the stone ground, play-fighting. Older kittens were gathered around an elderly tom, who was in the midst of telling them a story. Muscluar toms and she-cats carried large branches and weeds to a broken den. A pale blue-gray she-cat, plump with kits, fixed up her nest in her bramble den. A small group of warriors padded into camp, carrying fresh prey. All was peaceful. Nettlepaw glanced around nervously. His russet fur stood on end. ''So why does it feel like ShadowClan is going to attack? ''He shivered in the soft breeze. ''Or maybe it's just me. Yeah, defenitely just me. The medicine cat apprentice watched a group of warrior apprentices playing Clans. A she-cat squatting high on a rock ledge leaped down fearlessly, landing right on top of a tom below. The tom whipped around and bucked her off, flinging her into the warrior's den. Nettlepaw's heart jumped. Is she okay? ''But she stood up shakely from the brambles, giggling. Nettlepaw sighed. ''Why would any cat want to be a warrior? Why kill cats when you can heal them? I'll never want to-'' Suddenly, the screaming started. The pale blue-gray queen in the nursery collapsed on the ground, writhing. Briarleaf, on the other side of camp, pricked her ears and raced towards Nettlepaw. "Nettlepaw! Go get some borage from the herb store! Songbird's having her kits!" Then the pale she-cat sped off to the nursery. Nettlepaw's eyes widened. ''My first kitting! What if something goes wrong? What if ''I ''do something wrong? What if I give her the wrong herbs? What if-'' Nettlepaw shook his head. ''Just... go get the borage! He skidded into the medicine den cave. He almost knocked the poppy seeds off their shelf. He stumbled, got his balance, and glanced around. Let's see... borage leaves... what did Brairleaf tell me about them? Oh, yes. Soft, fuzzy, with ridged edges... Out of the corner of his eye, Nettlepaw spotted a bundle of leaves. There! ''He picked up the leaves, which felt soft and smooth beneath his jaws. He raced away and headed outside of the cave. Nettlepaw raced across the camp, dodging warriors carrying prey and den supplies along the way. As he ran past, he got lots of shocked glances, but there was no time to explain. He needed to get to the nursery before Songbird began her kitting! ''There it is! ''The nursery was an old bramble plant, hollowed in the center and re-enforced with ferns. The roots of the plant twisted between the rocks like slithering snakes. The thorns and spiky ferns were perfect for keeping rival warriors and hungry foxes out. The entrance was well-guarded by the ferns, too, but not too much to keep Nettlepaw from slipping inside. Nettlepaw stumbled into the bramble den. Brairleaf was sitting on the ground in front of one of the dens. She turned and gestured to his mouth. He opened it and let the borage drop to the ground. Songbird looked terrible. Her eyelids drooped, but went wide every once and a while, as if a cat was pressing down on her sensitive belly, harder and harder. Her pale blue fur was matted and stuck up everywhere. Her legs lashed out every once and a while in pain. "How many-" she stopped and flinched as another jolt of pain shook her- "how many kits will I- will I have?" Briarleaf slowly pressed down on her lower belly, ever so slightly, and felt around. "Four," she responded calmly, in a quiet voice she might use to a kit with a thorn stuck in her pad. Suddenly, the queen screeched in pain. Nettlepaw flinched back. "The first one is coming!" yowled Briarleaf over Songbirds screaming. "I need you to lick it clean once it comes out!" Suddenly, a brown head poked through the entrance of the nursery. "Is everything alright in there?" asked the tabby cat, his amber eyes full of fear. "Yes!" Briarleaf said. "Now, just because you're the father, Eagleheart, doesn't mean Songbird can't have her privacy!" Get out!" The medicine cat waved her paw, shooing off the warrior. Songbird gasped and cried out again. Nettlepaw glanced at the screaming she-cat. "Are you sure everything's okay?" Brairleaf looked down at the mossy ground. "I hope so," she whispered. Songbird screamed once more. "It's coming! Just try and stay calm, Songbird!" The queen's eyes widened and she kept screaming. She curled into a loose ball. Only a heartbeat later, a tiny body slithered out onto the nursery floor. She gasped, letting out the breath she'd been holding in. "Okay, that's the first one," Brairleaf told her, worry edging her voice. "Only three more to go!" The other she-cat groaned at that comment, but didn't complain. "Nettlepaw!" Briarleaf said. "Take this!" She picked up the thrashing little she-kit from the ground and set her next to the medicine apprentice. "Make sure to lick her, and rub her back to keep her nice and warm!" Nettlepaw stared in shock at the tiny kitten. Her blue-gray pelt was thin and matted down on her wet body. He could see the pale skin beneath. "NETTLEPAW!" Brairleaf yelled. Nettlepaw stumbled in shock and began licking the kit. He paused to rub her back every once and a while, like his mentor had told him. The new-born cat squeeked every once and a while, but Nettlepaw just licked her face and murmered comforting words to her. "It's okay, little one," he whispered to the crying kitten. Finally, the kit was clean. Her blue-gray pelt, a few shades darker than her mother's, was fluffy and thick enough to keep her warm. He also noticed that she had patches of white on her chest, paws, and tailtip. Nettlepaw kept her close in case she needed more licking. Songbird yowled again. Briarleaf yowled. "Here's the next one! Halfway there!" There was the sound of moss shifting as the next kit fell onto the grass. "Ready, Nettlepaw?" she asked. "Yes," he said confidently. His mentor gave him the next kit. This one was also a she-cat, with orange tabby fur. Briarleaf turned back to Songbird and continued encouraging her, and once and a while pressing down on her belly. He licked this kit just like the last. She squeeked a lot more than the blue one, but Nettlepaw tried to keep her calm. Suddenly, the kit squeeked loudly, and drooped to the ground. Her chest stopped moving. "Briarleaf!" yowled Nettlepaw in terror. "This one's stopped breathing!" Songbird whipped her head around to look at the weak kit, but moaned as pain shook her again. Brairleaf looked over. She looked calm, but her eyes gave away her fear. "Just press up and down on her chest," she told him. "Try to unlodge whatever is stopping her from breathing." Nettlepaw nodded. He looked down at the motionless newborn kit and placed his paws on her fuzzy chest. Then he began pressing up and down, up and down, trying to start the kit breathing again. The kit's tiny ear twitched when he pressed down, but she was otherwise still. ''Come on! Breath! Suddenly the kitten let out a tiny gasp, and then began squeeking again. Her tiny paws scrambled on the ground as she tried to stand up, but she fell over on her side. Nettlepaw's heart swelled. Her chuckled, feeling no fear now. "Not yet, little kit," he murmered. "You'll learn how to walk when you're old enough." He reached down to lick the kit. He was thinking about rubbing her back to warm her up, but she already seemed warm on her own. He stroked the kit until her fur was soft and fluffy. Now he could see her markings more clearly. She had some tabby stripes along her back. On her forehead was a little brown mark. Songbird's flanks shuddered. The third kit was coming. A trembling shape slid into the moss. Brairleaf reached down and handed him the kit- a brown cat like his father. Nettlepaw began licking him. He was shivering, so he made sure to rub him extra hard. But he wouldn't stop shivering. "I can't warm him up!" Nettlepaw meowed to his mentor. "Keep licking and rubbing!" responded the tan she-cat. Nettlepaw turned back to the trembling kit. He licked him frantically. Soon his brown fur was sticking up everywhere. The kit meowed in protest, but the russet apprentice kept rubbing until the kit had stopped shivering. He set him next to his littermates, who were squirming on the ground, snuggling together to keep warm. "Last one!" meowed Brairleaf loudly. Songbird's legs thrashed and she shuddered as the final kit plopped onto the ground. Brairleaf handed the white she-kit to her apprentice. Nettlepaw licked and rubbed the kit, but unlike the last two, he had no problems with her. Soon her smooth, white fur was as beautiful as her mother's. "Okay, is anything hurting?" Brairleaf asked her patient. Songbird yelped. "Are you- are you sure I have no kits left?" Her flanks trembled harder than the shivering brown kit had. Briarleaf's eyes widened. "Nettlepaw," she mewed slowly, "feel her belly and see if you think there's any kits left." Nettlepaw shuffled forward cautiously. Songbird stared worriedly into his green eyes with her blue ones. The russet tom slowly placed a paw on her belly. The queen flinched. He moved it around, but didn't feel anything. There was no bumps, no movement. He turned around. "No, I don't think-" Suddenly, his tail brushed against Songbird's belly, and he felt something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was moving. "Wait!" he said. He turned around and placed his paw where he had rested his tail. Songbird yowled. There was defenitely a kit moving in there. A small kit, but a kit. "Yes! There's a kit!" Nettlepaw said to Brairleaf. Brairleaf's eyes widened. "Okay. Get ready to do some serious licking, because this is a little weakling." Songbird glared at her medicine cat, but her eyes widened as pain overtook her again. Nettlepaw watched closer this time. Brairleaf whispered encouragement to the queen. She place her paw onto her belly and said something to the blue-gray cat. Her eyes widened in effort. Briarleaf pushed her paw down harder onto her belly, and the queen screeched. Then she let go. The queen let out one last yowl of effort, and her flanks shivered as a pitch-black kit fell onto the mossy floor. Brairleaf quickly gave Nettlepaw the kit. It was shivering, and its chest was barely moving. It was dramatically smaller than its siblings. Its squeeks were quiet and pitiful. "Come on, little one..." he whispered, rubbing the kit's back. "You can do it..." He licked and rubbed until the kit's pelt was full and soft. But there seemed to be something wrong with it. It wouldn't stop shivering, and its breathing was quick and raspy. It barely moved. In fact, the only sign it was still alive was its weak breathing and its shaking. "Brairleaf! Help me!" he called. His mentor looked over from feeding Songbird the borage that he had brought to the den. The queen looked exhausted and worried. Brairleaf rushed over to look at the kit. "I think it was born too early," she told him. "These kits are all early, but maybe this one was too small..." She reached down and picked up the kit by the scruff. "He needs some of his mother's milk," she said. "In fact, let's get all of these kits over." Nettlepaw picked up the orange and the blue-gray kits, while his mentor brought over the brown, white, and black ones. They set them down next the Songbird, who looked up faintly. Her kits crawled forward and began suckling. The black one kept getting pushed away by his siblings, but Nettlepaw moved him to the middle so he couldn't be shoved to the outside. "My precious kits," murmured Songbird lovingly. Brairleaf stepped forward. "Is anything bothering you?" she questioned. "Does anything hurt?" The queen shook her head. "I feel fine now," she answered. Brairleaf looked down at Nettlepaw. "Another successful day," she said proudly. "Let's go tell Eagleheart the good news." Nettlepaw's chest swelled with pride. He'd done it! ---- Songbird's kits squirmed in her nest next to her. She chuckled. The dark blue one was trying to dogpile on top of the others. The tabby kit, who looked just like Eagleheart, squeaked in protest as the other kitten squatted on top of his back. The black one was scrawnier than the rest, but already was lazily batting his paw on the white cat's nose. The orange one just sat in the corner of the nest, sleeping. The ferns rustled in the entrance, and Eagleheart trotted in. "How are you feeling?" he asked his mate. Songbird snorted. "This is the fourth time you've come to check on me! I had kits, not fought with ShadowClan!" Eagleheart stepped forward. "I'll never stop worrying about you, Songbird," he told her. Songbird's heart swelled in pride. I'm lucky to have such a kind mate. Her husband stepped forward and poked his nose towards the kits. They squeaked and stared with blind eyes at their father. "They're beautiful," he murmered. The brown tabby scrambled forward and whacked his paw on the tip of his nose. "Look! He's a little warrior already!" he joked. Songbird laughed. "What should we name him?" Eagleheart looked down at the tiny newborn kit. "Something tough." He stroked the little cat with his tail. "Scarkit? Clawkit? Bravekit? Toughkit? Oh, I know! Deathkit!" "Come on! Be serious!" chuckled Songbird. "I was thinking Stonekit." Her mate snorted. "Stonekit? What's so though about stone?" The pale blue she-cat let out a mrrow of laughter. "Well, we do know that time when you hit your head on that boulder during patrol..." Eagleheart's eyes widened. "No! Don't name him after that!" "I'm just kidding!" Songbird's paws shuffled in the mossy bed. "How about... well, stone is practically unbreakable" Eagleheart's ears twitcched in amusement. "Yeah," he muttered. "Unbreakable enough for grass to grow through." He looked at the sleeping kit in the corner of the nest. "Can I name this one?" His wife nodded. "Of course!" Eagleheart observed the tiny she-cat. He poked his nose into her thick fur. She squeaked and bit him on the nose. "Oww!" yelped Eagleheart. "Okay, I think this one deserves a tough name, too. Deathkit was a good one. But Clawkit is always an option... or we could name him Bravekit! Yes, Bravekit! Perfect!" Songbird gave him a disaproving look. "She's a she-cat," she groaned. "Oh! A she-cat name. Okay. Still, we need to keep it on the tough side... Oh! She's orange, so maybe something to do with fire? How about Blazingkit? Flamekit? Scorchkit?" "Maybe," responded his mate. "I like Scorchkit, though. Her forehead has a little brown mark on it, like a scorchmark." She nodded at the kit. The orange kitten glanced up blindly at her parents, showing off the dark amber patch of fur on her forehead. "Okay, Scorchkit." Eagleheart nodded in approval. "How about this little guy?" He prodded the blue-gray kit, who was now sitting on the white kit. The white one squeaked in anger and thrashed her paws, but her sister stayed firm. Songbird sighed. "Not guy, girl!" she snorted. Eagleheart shifted his weight. "Okay, okay!" he meowed. "What do you think we should name hi- her?" His mate looked thoughfully at the kit. "Waterkit looks suitible." Eagleheart sighed. "Too boring!" he exclaimed. "How about something like that, but more exciting? Splashkit? Troutkit? Wavekit?" "Rainkit!" his wife said. Eagleheart nodded. "That's better! Now, about this one..." he touched the white kit with his tail, who had given in to fighting back from the blue-gray she-kit. "Cloudkit?" Songbird nodded. "Yeah! How about the black one?" The black one was sitting in the corner now, squeaking violently. Whenever another kit approached, he would roll into a little ball of black fur. He draped his tail over his face, shielding it from his siblings. But his tail didn't cover his full face, so one of his shut eyes poked out of his furry defense. Then, to Songbird's suprise, his eye cracked the slightest bit open, so they could see his eye- a pure violent iris with huge, curious black pupils, shining for just a moment before closing again. Like a purple moon, shining in the black night sky... "Nightkit!" yowled Eagleheart and Songbird at the same time. Songbird looked at her mate. "Perfect! We'll call him Nightkit, then!" Eagleheart observed his kits. "Nightkit is a special little kit," he whispered. "His eyes... I've never seen a cat with that color of eyes before..." Songbird tucked her paw around the cowering kitten, who squealed, startled. "I think... I think he is special. He may be small now, but some day, he'll grow. He'll be the best warrior in ThunderClan." Her husband nudged her. "But never better than you!" he said. Songbird laughed and scooped her five kits closer to her. "Stonekit, Scorchkit, Rainkit, Cloudkit, and Nightkit." She sighed. "You have a wonderful destiny ahead of you..." Eagleheart nodded in agreement. "Yes," he mused. Songbird just caught a flash of pure anger as he glanced at Nightkit. Then it was gone. ---- That's it for now, guys! Sorry it took so long to write, I've been busy... :( The first episode is coming out soon, so get ready for some serious action!